The present relates to window frames, and more particularly to window frames that can be installed without screws or other fasteners.
Window frames, such as those used in doorlights, are well known. Door light frames in particular typically include two frame halves—one exterior and one interior—that are screwed together or otherwise interconnected. The frame halves are positioned on opposite sides of an object, such as a door, to support a glazing panel such as insulated glass. Illustrative doorlight frames are illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,644,881 issued Jul. 8, 1997 to Neilly; U.S. Pat. No. 5,133,168 issued Jul. 28, 1992 to Neilly et al; U.S. Pat. No. 4,920,718 issued May 1, 1990 to Artwick et al; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,021,967 issued May 10, 1977 to Mulder et al.
Although these doorlight frames enjoy widespread popularity, they can be relatively time-consuming to install. The doorlight assembly is fabricated at one location and shipped to a second location for installation within a door. When the window frame arrives at the second location, the fasteners must be removed; the window frame halves must be separated; the frame halves must be repositioned on opposite sides of the door; and the fasteners must be reinstalled. Given that a typical frame may include fourteen or more screws, a considerable amount of time is required to install the window in the door. Further, such doorlight frames have aesthetic issues because the screw holes and screw heads are visible on the installed frame. Although the holes can be filled with putty or screw hole covers, these remedies require additional time; and the results vary with the skill of the installer.
Some doorlight frames have been developed that do not include threaded fasteners. Examples are illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,903,669 issued Sep. 9, 1975 to Pease et al; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,760,543 issued Sep. 25, 1973 to McAllister. The Pease construction includes fasteners that have two bulbous protrusions, each of which is entrapped within one of the frame halves. The McAllister also includes unthreaded fasteners that fit frictionally within the frame halves.
Unfortunately, the frames without threaded fasteners developed to date are not satisfactory. First, and in the case of the Pease construction, the fasteners cannot be installed in the frames during manufacture of the doorlight and prior to installation in a door. If they were, the frames could not be separated so that the frame could be installed within a door. Second, and in the case of the McAllister construction, the fasteners may provide an inadequate retaining function, such that the frame halves may unintentionally separate. In other words, if the unthreaded fasteners provide adequate permanent intersecurement, they cannot be installed prior to the installation of the doorlight within the door.